That's Amore!
by NeoVenus22
Summary: PRJF. Casey has a crush. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me.

* * *

The only way to describe Casey's expression was 'pensive.' Furrowed brow, focused gaze, brain ostensibly turned off to all things around him.

"Hello?" said Lily, waving her hand in front of his face. "Anyone in there?"

"Rarely," commented Theo.

Casey blinked, which meant he wasn't dead, but he continued to stare off into space without motion. Lily and Theo exchanged a look. "Is everything okay?"

"How old do you think Fran is?"

"How old-- _what_?" sputtered Lily. The space-gazing wasn't so idle after all; now paying attention, she realized he was staring across Karma at Fran, watching as she dropped a pencil while taking an order.

"_Fran_?" said Theo incredulously, and while Lily certainly was thinking along those lines, she wouldn't have said so out loud. She kicked Theo's ankle in admonishment, and he hopped about for a second or two, glaring.

"I mean, if someone's got glasses, you, can't always tell," continued Casey, oblivious to the drama unfolding just to his left. "And she seems so young..."

"You mean she seems like a ditzy twelve-year-old," said Theo, and then bam, shoe met shin again.

"Theo!" hissed Lily.

"What?" he hissed back.

"Shh!"

"Come on!"

"Behave." In a normal voice, to Casey, she said, "Any particular reason you want to know?"

The trance broke. His chin slid out of his palm slightly, eyes refocused, a blush crept up his neck, he coughed. "Nothing. Just curious."

"Right, curious." Lily felt the compulsion to giggle, but it seemed mean. "Anyway, I can't imagine she's that much older than us." She smiled, squeezed his arm for half a second. "She's sweet."

"If by sweet you mean flaky," said Theo.

"Theo!"

"What! Stop kicking me, Lil, jeez. Anyway, I thought she and RJ were, like, a thing."

The expression on Casey's face made him look like an animal shelter puppy. "You think so?"

Just like the throes of a crush made Casey oblivious to the antics of his teammates, the throes of his ego made Theo oblivious to Casey's anguish. 'Well, yeah. Didn't she used to come in there every day? Way before he started paying her."

"That doesn't mean anything," said Lily. She thought it was terribly compelling evidence, if she was being honest, but Casey looked wounded. "Maybe she just likes _pizza_, Theo," she said, with a few more well-timed, well-placed kicks, so the message wouldn't be lost.

"Nobody likes pizza that much--" he began, but she glared until he silenced. Lily tilted her head frantically in Casey's direction; Casey, who was now spinning an order pad on the countertop, looking lost. She was pleased at least that recognition melted into remorse on Theo's face. Lily moved to kick him again, but he jerked his bruised calves out of the way. "Uh, I mean, I guess some people do, though. Right? Some people just really like pizza. Not necessarily like the secret ninja masters who... sell it."

'Happy?' he mouthed at Lily.

"That works out well," Lily said brightly. "Because you like pizza too, right, Casey?" She gave him a poke. "Maybe you and Fran can like pizza... you know, together."

"This whole conversation is cheesy," muttered Theo.

"You're both new. You should get to know each other."

"Nah," said Casey uncertainly. "I mean, I don't think-- she wouldn't--"

"Bet she would," said Lily. "Hey, Fran."

Fran came up to the counter with a look of determination. "Hi, Lily. Okay. Table six wants a large with red pepper, green pepper, and pepperoni." She tapped her pencil eraser against the pad as she read each ingredient.

"On it," said Theo, and while he was distracted by his search for peppers, Lily moved in.

"Isn't it time for your break?"

"Um, yes," said Fran, "I think so. Maybe."

"Great, it's Casey's break, too. Maybe you can take it together."

"Lily..." began Casey, but Fran shrugged.

"All right. Maybe we can get to know each other better." Fran grinned. "Cool."

Casey's face filled with nervous excitement. "Yeah, cool."

"Go go go," said Lily, falling just short of physically pushing them.

"But, table six..."

"Theo and I will take care of table six," she offered. "Hurry up."

The pair filled soda cups and headed off to a corner table, unaware that Lily was watching them with budding pride. Theo appeared at her side. "_We're_ not taking table six, _you're_ taking table six," he warned her. "I'm only doing kitchen duty today, Lil, you know this."

"Theo?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

He sighed, and they stood in silence a moment, shamelessly spying on the almost-, not-date in progress. Not that they were noticed.

"_Fran_?" said Theo.

Lily shrugged. "Why not Fran? We don't know Casey all that well yet; maybe Fran is the perfect girl for him."

"Yeah. I guess. Maybe. But... _Fran_?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with Fran."

"Uh-huh." He appeared to either take no notice of what she'd said, or had and just chose to ignore it. "I hope they don't ask us to double-date or something."

She swatted him with her apron. "Get back to work, Theo." And while their coworkers chatted softly in the corner, they got back to work.


	2. Chapter 2

Funky In Fishnet challenged me to do a tag to this fic, set later that evening.

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me.

* * *

"Why don't you head on home, Fran, we'll lock up," Casey offered.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, no problem." Casey beamed at her brightly, earning a smile in return.

"Okay. I'll see you in an hour, then?"

"Absolutely," he promised her. "See you then." Casey waved Fran out the door, locked it after her, switched the sign to 'closed,' and turned to find his teammates smirking at him. "What?"

"'See you in an hour'?" said Lily. "Do you have... _plans_, Casey?"

"Uh, sorta. I, uh, I kinda asked her out to a movie," he said. He could feel the blush rising but knew there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Lily beamed. "Casey, that's fantastic!" Even Theo looked moderately impressed. Fighting bad guys was one thing, but asking a girl out took a different level of guts.

"So you're doing it tonight?" she asked.

Casey's smile faltered nervously. "Yeah, we are, but that's sort of the thing. I kind of told her it was a... you know, a group thing."

Theo caught on quickly. "You're kidding me."

Casey chewed his lip. "I'm sorry. It just sorta... came out. I didn't want to scare her or anything." What he didn't add was that he was a little bit scared himself, and that he was throwing himself at their mercy. "Please, guys?" he asked, just the right note of pathetic where they'd take pity on him. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

"What if we had plans?" said Theo.

"Theo," Lily hissed.

"What if we _did_?" he asked.

"Lil?" Casey said, knowing he was begging. "Please?"

"Oh, all right-" she began, but the rest of it was lost as he flung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in with a hug. The other arm was reserved for Theo, who resisted and ducked away.

"I didn't agree to this," he said.

"Oh, come on, Theo," said Lily. "It'd be a nice change of pace from working, and training, and fighting, and training, and working, and fighting..."

Theo rolled his eyes. "I _like_ those things."

"If you won't do it for Casey, do it for me?" She batted her eyes comically, but when Theo's face remained stony, she abandoned that tactic and opted instead to swat at his bicep. "Come on. You owe me."

"No, _you_ owe _me_," he said. "And I guess you'll owe me another one after this."

"No, _I'll_ owe you," Casey said enthusiastically. "Thanks, man. I really appreciate this."

"Tell you what. Get this place cleaned up, Cinderella, and then we can all go to the ball." Theo crossed his arms over his chest and his meaning was clear.

Casey didn't mind. "You got it!" he said, reaching for the mop.

He went right to work cleaning up for the day, and behind him, he thought he heard Theo hissing, "I told you this would happen. I _told_ you."

Casey grinned to himself and shook his head. Theo, and maybe even Lily, would probably make him pay for this later. But right now, he didn't mind.


End file.
